Alwaght- The Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter said Monday that he has been getting death threats for his outspoken opposition to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whom Kanter called "the Hitler of our century".
The Oklahoma City Thunder center, born in Switzerland but a Turkish citizen through his parents, returned to the US on Sunday after being detained in Romania when authorities learned Ankara has revoked his passport.
"The reason behind it was, whoever is going to try to go against the president, he’s going to try to shut him down," Kanter said at the press conference in New York.
Kanter was eventually allowed to leave for London, and he arrived in New York on Sunday, relieved to be back in the US but shaken by events.
“It was of course scary,” Kanter said Monday (via ESPN). “It was scary because there was a chance they might send me back to Turkey. And if they send me back to Turkey, probably you guys wouldn’t hear a word from me the second day. It would have definitely gotten really ugly.”
Kanter has accused Erdogan of conducting a repressive regime, particularly in the wake of a failed coup attempt last year that the center said was a hoax designed to strengthen the president’s grip on Turkey and allow him to jail or kill thousands of opponents.
“I hope the whole world is watching this and all the human rights [groups],” Kanter said Monday. “I want people to do something about it because there are a lot of people waiting for help in jail in Turkey, getting kidnapped, murdered, tortured, raped.”
“I love Turkey, I love my country,” Kanter added. “I am trying to speak up and be the voice of all these innocent people. Erdogan, he is a terrible man. Of course this is a strong statement, I [said] that he is the Hitler of our century. I know it is a really strong statement.
“But all these people I have seen getting killed and murdered and tortured, that is definitely one of the saddest moments I have had. I hope the world is going to do something about it.”
“I love Turkey, I love my country,” Kanter added. “I am trying to speak up and be the voice of all these innocent people. Erdogan, he is a terrible man. Of course this is a strong statement, I [said] that he is the Hitler of our century. I know it is a really strong statement.
“But all these people I have seen getting killed and murdered and tortured, that is definitely one of the saddest moments I have had. I hope the world is going to do something about it.”
Kanter contends that Turkey revoked his travel document in retaliation for his long-time support of Fethullah Gulen, a dissident cleric who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. Erdogan is seeking Gulen's extradition for his alleged role in a failed coup last July.
Kanter said last year he had severed ties with his family and pledged allegiance to Gulen after Turkish media published a letter signed by Kanter's father, disowning his son.
